Chaenactis artemisiifolia is a species in the Asteraceae (Sunflower) family known by the common name White Pincushion. It is native from the coast to the coastal mountain ranges of southern California and Baja California. This is a robust annual herb producing an erect stem occasionally as tall as two meters but usually under one meter in height. There is a basal rosette of leaves and sparse leaves along the stem. The leaves are up to about 15 centimeters or more in length and they are divided into many lobes which are further subdivided into smaller, lacy lobes. The leaves and stem are lightly woolly; older plants have thinner coats of hair. The stem branches about midway up and bears several flower heads in a wide open flower cluster. Each head is a hairy hemispheric cup of sharp-tipped phyllaries which can be up to a centimeter long. The flower heads are discoid, containing only disc florets, but some of them are flat enough to resemble ray florets or petals. The florets are white to pink. The anthers and curly styles protrude far from each floret, making the flower head look like a pincushion. The fruit is a compressed achene about half a centimeter long with no pappus. This species is not frequently seen in gardens but is useful for restoration projects.